Serial Killer: Laron Ronald Williams
Overview
Laron Ronald Williams (1949 – July 7, 1985) was an American convicted serial killer whose crimes spanned from 1977 to 1981. Initially imprisoned for murdering a Nashville prostitute, he later escaped custody in 1981 and killed both a police lieutenant and a Catholic priest. He was sentenced to death for the latter two murders, but was beaten to death by fellow inmates before his sentence could be carried out.
Victims & Timeline
- Terra Wedlaw – ~October 18, 1977 – Nashville, Tennessee: 19‑year‑old sex worker from Tampa. Murdered by strangulation after being solicited; Williams fled the scene. He was later arrested in possession of her birth certificate and convicted of her murder.
- Mary Jo Corn (aka Larisa Ann Marsay) – Suspected 24‑year‑old, strangled and found nude with bindings. One of two similar cases in Nashville Williams was investigated for while awaiting trial in 1977.
- Bessie Wallace – Suspected 24‑year‑old bank teller, also nude, strangled, and bound in Nashville area, within months of the Wedlaw murder.
- Lieutenant Clarence P. Cox – May 12, 1981 – Memphis, Tennessee: 53‑year‑old Memphis Police lieutenant was shot in the head after attempting to arrest Williams, who had escaped custody.
- Rev. John Jay Jackson – May 14, 1981 – Jackson, Tennessee: 35‑year‑old assistant priest at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church. Fatally shot during a burglary; two days before Williams was recaptured at a restaurant next to a motel.
Legal Proceedings & Sentence
– January 1979: Pleaded guilty to the murder of Terra Wedlaw; sentenced to 10 years in prison with possibility of parole after 4 years.
– April 22, 1981: Escaped from Memphis Correctional Center by climbing over a fence.
– May 1981: Captured following murders of Lt. Cox and Rev. Jackson. Convicted of both murders and sentenced to death via electric chair; two separate death sentences were issued.
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Account
